Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 1, NWS Gaylord, MI
NWS Gaylord, MI issued this tornado warning at Oct 15, 1989, 10:43 AM EDT for Grand Traverse County, Kalkaska County, Missaukee County, Michigan. It was in force for 32 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- Oct 15, 1989, 10:43 AM EDT (14:43 UTC)
- Expired
- Oct 15, 1989, 11:15 AM EDT
- In force
- 32 min
- Issued by
- NWS Gaylord, MI
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Grand Traverse County, MI, Kalkaska County, MI, Missaukee County, MI
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 15, 11:15 AM EDT | Hail 1.5 | Kalkaska, MI |
NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.
The nearest sounding before it
Sault Ste Marie, MI (KSSM), launched 12:00Z, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 223 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1213 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 72 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 101 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 207 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KMKG 151443
TORMKG
MIC055-079-113-151515-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MUSKEGON MI
1043 AM EDT SUN OCT 15 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1115 AM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES
IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF LOWER MICHIGAN
EASTERN GRAND TRAVERSE...SOUTHERN KALKASKA...
IN THE NORTH CENTRAL PART OF LOWER MICHIGAN
NORTHERN MISSAUKEE...
AT 1035 AM EDT A SHERIFF REPORTED A TORNADO 18 MILES SOUTH OF
TRAVERSE CITY MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE IS IN
A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...FIND SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS.
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...FIND SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...TAKE SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH...
OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF
A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...TAKE SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY. IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE. OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES...
TAKE COVER IN A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.
IMFWhat forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Oct 15, 9:43 AM EDT, 1 hour before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUGHTON LAKE MI 940 AM EDT SUN OCT 15 1989 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 PM EDT... AT 940 AM EDT...RADAR WAS INDICATING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO NORTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN NEAR TRAVERSE CITY. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 40 TO 45 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL MOVING INTO OTSEGO AND CRAWFORD COUNTIES BY 1100 AM EDT. VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WIND...LARGE HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE LIKELY WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. LLH
Special weather statement, Oct 15, 10:20 AM EDT, 23 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUGHTON LAKE MI 1015 AM EDT SUN OCT 15 1989 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 PM EDT... AT 1015 AM EDT...RADAR WAS INDICATING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER KALKASKA COUNTY...ABOUT 40 MILES NORTHWEST OF HOUGHTON LAKE. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL BE MOVING INTO NORTH CRAWFORD...SOUTH OTSEGO COUNTY BY 1030 AM EDT. VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WIND...LARGE HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE LIKELY WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. LLH
The office that day
Everything else NWS Gaylord, MI issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 14, 11:40 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | APX | Oscoda | 30 min |
| Oct 15, 10:13 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | APX | Benzie, Grand Traverse, Leelanau | 62 min |
| Oct 15, 11:06 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | APX | Antrim, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska | 69 min |
| Oct 15, 11:25 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | APX | Oscoda | 35 min |
| Oct 15, 12:02 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | APX | Oscoda | 28 min |
| Oct 15, 12:09 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | APX | Alcona, Iosco | 51 min |
| Oct 15, 12:45 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | APX | Oscoda | 45 min |
| Oct 15, 1:02 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | APX | Alcona | 58 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Michigan, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes in 1989
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.